Saturday, October 11, 2014

Feria on the Saturday

Dear Fathers, Friends in Christ,

The last condition of that person is worse than the first. (Luke 11:26)

Imagine that you own an apartment, and its tenants are destructive and negligent. You decide to evict them. All of their belongings are removed, and you have the apartment cleaned so that all traces of the former occupants are gone. But there’s a problem: you don’t change the locks, and no new tenants move in. It’s a situation similar to Jesus’ parable of the demon returning to its original host with extra spirits. Appealing and vacant, the poor soul was fair game for a return by its previous occupant.

Although we may not have to deal with demonic possession, we do deal with repeated sin. So often, we confess the same sins time and again. We know that the Sacrament of Reconciliation gives us the grace to be set free. But once we’re cleansed, we need to be filled with something. We can’t go around vacant!

So what can we do to fortify our “house” against repeat occupation? How do we go beyond cleansing our souls and actually refurnish them?

From the earliest centuries, the Church has understood that sin, or vice, has what are called opposing virtues: virtues that by their very nature counteract and weaken the influence of the sin in our lives. Following this tradition, St. Ignatius of Loyola recommended developing virtues that strike to the heart of our most troublesome sins.

It goes something like this: we examine our consciences carefully. We go to Confession and get “swept clean and put in order.” Then we get to work refurnishing our house. We identify the virtue that will help us displace the sin. Chastity counteracts lust. Temperance uproots gluttony. Generosity counterbalances greed. Diligence displaces sloth. Forgiveness and meekness offset wrath or anger. Kindness replaces envy. And humility supplants pride. With each subsequent confession, the process continues on a deeper and deeper level until we find ourselves set free.

Experiment with the virtues that oppose your sins. It’s true that only God’s grace can help you progress in holiness, but you still have to decide to take those small steps each day to fill the gap left by the uprooted sin. So refurnish your house, and you’ll find the Holy Spirit living there more comfortably—and more powerfully!

“Holy Spirit, fill me with virtue, which is the fruit of your life in me!”

Hymn for Pentecost - Come Thou O Holy Ghost Creator blest

Father Ed Bakker

Priest in charge of the Anglican Catholic Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne in Launceston, TAS, Australia .If you want to turn your life to Christ , for Mass times, for visits to the sick in hospital, Holy Communion for the Sick, Burials, Weddings ,please phone me on 0400 366 451.

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The Mission is based in Launceston Tasmania, Australia, please phone me on 0400 366 451 for further information

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OUR MISSION . Our Church is a family of believers committed to living the faith once-delivered to the Saints ( Jude 1:3) and received by the Church throughout the centuries. While ours is an ancient way rejoicing in the tradition and piety of the early Church, we are not a museum of religious antiquities but a living community of faithful people, reaching out to our neighbours with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Traditional Christians are often accused of being stuck in the past. However, the greater danger for Christians today is an uncritical acceptance of new teachings and practices. Because " Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) the faith of the past is the wave of the future. As God said through the prophet Jeremiah, " Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls " Jeremiah 6:16

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